The OBJECTIVE of the plan outlined for the next five years is to plan, develop, and put into place the infrastructure elements that will result in a more efficient, patient-oriented research network that phases out the existing disconnect between discovery and implementation, research and practice. It is our CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS that a network organized and focused on regional dynamic research alliances will have increased appeal to community-based health care professionals and patients, resulting in enhanced communications, interoperability, and success in the conduct of multi-center clinical research. In PHASE 1 (R21) of this project, we will establish the foundation for development of an effective and successful research administrative infrastructure at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) that can operate at the center of an integrated, multi-institutional, nationwide network to support clinical and translational research in hearing and balance disorders. Our network, called CHEER, Creating Healthcare Excellence through Education and Research, will be a dynamic alliance of central coordination with regional academic partners and community-based health care professional. The community otolaryngologist and his/her ancillary health care professionals will be an integral part of the CHEER network. Our SPECIFIC AIMS include: 1. Collect comprehensive information on relevant research programs from our co-investigators and their corresponding institution, consultants, and other organizations engaged in multi-center patient- oriented research, 2. Collect comprehensive information from established practice-based research networks in otolaryngology, networks funded by NIH Roadmap initiatives, and selected networks included in the Inventory and Evaluation of Clinical Research Networks (IECRN) database, and 3. Finalize and submit for publication strategic and business plans for building the central research network administrative infrastructure for hearing and balance disorders, based at the DCRI. In PHASE 2 (R33), we will utilize the groundwork and strategic plan developed in PHASE 1 of the project to guide the systematic, stepwise implementation of systems, and educational programs using a multifunctional information technology platform. This platform, called Research about Research (RaR), is easily adaptable, HIPPA compliant and supports the use of common data standards. We will utilize the experience of the DCRI, PI and our co-investigators to adapt RaR to support effective communications among regional and community-based collaborators, development of central and regional research administration, and implementation of educational programs to operationalize the CHEER network. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]